M116A3 Build

[lfhoward]

Today's progress:

Hung all three doors and cut out slots in the door jambs for the latches
Built the 1/2 inch interior molding that the utility doors close against (will put weatherstripping on it)
Transferred the three batteries to the trailer and rigged up the DC electrical system (I have interior lights now)
Closed and locked the doors for the night!

[lfhoward]

Some pics from today:
(It was dark out when I remembered to take them, but now I have ELECTRICITY! )

Rear door jamb and threshold with 1/2 inch lip:









Side utility door, also with a 1/2 inch lip around the opening:





Some interior shots:

The fantastic vent fan is hooked up and works great!


~240 amp hour battery bank:


Left side utility cabinet (battery charger, AC inverter, DC fuse bank, automatic transfer switch):


Right side utility cabinet (Tracer MPPT solar charge controller - no panel hooked up yet, but green light indicates charged batteries):


Light switches for the overhead LED's and porch LED:


And my trailer looking like Captain Nemo's Nautilus after dark.


I wonder if my build needs a code name? M116A3 isn't exactly easy to say. How about The Nautilus?

[noseoil]

Very good, busy weekend it looks like. That should be enough power to run anything you might need and then some. I like the Nautilus, but it could be the "Blast Shelter" the way it's being built and sitting on that frame! It's coming together well. Should be great for a week in the woods.

[S. Heisley]

lfhoward wrote:

(It was dark out when I remembered to take them, but now I have ELECTRICITY! )

Until I saw the above comment, I thought that you had worked well into the night! Regardless, Good job!

[KCStudly]

How about "The Bunker" for a name?

[lfhoward]

I have an electrical question that I posted in the "electrical secrets" section. Here is a link:
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=64423

[lfhoward]

The weather forecast says 7 straight days of RAIN! I put a second tarp over the trailer in hopes of keeping it as dry as possible. The one I was using before had a couple of holes and leaked in the last big storm, causing some water damage. Now it is doubled up at least on the roof. Fingers crossed!

[lfhoward]

The trailer survived today's rain showers with no apparent tarp leaks. However, heavy thunderstorms are on the way and 1-2 inches of rain are predicted overnight. Here's hoping for dry straight plywood in the morning!

If it does leak, there is really no time for it to dry out with seven consecutive rainy days predicted from today to next Tuesday, including several more 1"+ rain days. I'd hate for the plywood to delaminate and warp, but the trailer is as protected as I can make it without a garage. Really need to get that aluminum skin on soon.

[lfhoward]

Update: big blue tarp leaked overnight, but smaller green tarp underneath it didn't. So the camper roof which was covered by two tarps appears to be dry, but there are water droplets running down the sides of the trailer underneath the big blue tarp. Let's hope the spar urethane does its job, especially at the window frames.

[S. Heisley]

My reaction when I read your post :

Update: big blue tarp leaked overnight,:

Oh, No!

but smaller green tarp underneath it didn't.

Yay!

So the camper roof which was covered by two tarps appears to be dry, but there are water droplets running down the sides of the trailer underneath the big blue tarp. Let's hope the spar urethane does its job, especially at the window frames.

Did you seal the cut edges really well?

[noseoil]

If you soaked it really well & did the edges with a couple of coats of urethane, it should be fine. Just keep the tarps tied down well & hope for the best. If that hurricane makes a landfall near you, it might be a good idea to find a big trucker's tarp & batten down the hatches with a bunch of stout lashings and bricks. That could be 10" of rain in a day, if it sees the camper & makes a bee line for it.

Look at the bright side, at least it isn't a foamie, it might not be damaged by the rain, but it could blow away as light as they typically are or float down the street.

[lfhoward]

Hi Sharon and Tim,

The trailer has a third coat of urethane at this point, and I really layed it on thickly at the window and door edges, roof, and front. I have been planning to hit it again with a 4th coat, but hopefully 3 will do the trick for hurricane Joaquin! It's going to have to!

I have been thinking about hurricane prep, and for sure I'm going to add more ratchet straps. Right now, the big blue tarp is held on by two straps that go from side to side under the trailer. I will add several more that go back to front and diagonal, so there is no flapping of the tarp in the breeze. I figure if it is like a solid object, it is less likely to shred in high winds. I may also remove batteries and electronics and put them in the garage, in case of water.

Hopefully the hurricane will change course and go out to sea in the next couple of days and nobody will have to worry about it!

[S. Heisley]

At least you are inland and not right on the coast. Hopefully, the "storm" won't affect you too much.
Once the storm -and winds- have passed, it would be good to air/dry the unit out; but, you know that and will be back working on it anyway.

...Stay safe!

[lfhoward]

A cold, wet camper trailer in hibernation.

[S. Heisley]

How about The Nautilus?

It's whatever fits and you like. You'll know when you have zeroed in on the right name.